


A Touch of Darkness

by Raven_Holmes



Category: Naruto
Genre: Gen, Prequel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-18
Updated: 2016-06-04
Packaged: 2018-06-09 03:47:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 18,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6888646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raven_Holmes/pseuds/Raven_Holmes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Narumi has returned to the village with which she trained as a chunin. An accomplished ninja who specialises in espionage, decided to take refuge once more in the Hidden Leaf, when the Haitaka, a militia born from the ashes of Getsugakure after the village was destroyed during the first Shinobi World War. <br/>But as the second Shinobi World War came to its end, the Haitaka rebuilt Getsugakure in secret. Narumi, the last of the Kiruma clan, after her mother died in childbirth, grew up around this militia, hated and thought to be cursed.<br/>Seeing the Leaf Village as her only opportunity to grow stronger, she studied at the Ninja Academy there, working hard, eventually becoming a Leaf Jonin. Now a to-hire espionage expert, she finds that the Haitaka have caught up to her, and turns once more to the Leaf for help.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It’s roar rang throughout the village, and I froze in the street, along with everyone else. The villagers unfroze quickly, running, screaming. I looked to my right and left, my teammates right beside me. I could see the fear in their eyes, their breath was caught in their throats, just as mine was. We were frozen in time, staring up at the great beast before us. His scowl burned through our minds like nothing we had ever experienced. He looked over the village vehemothly, prepared, and willing, to kill everyone and everything who lived here. He stepped closer to the village walls, planting his feet as he took a deep breath, before letting out the most terrifying roar I had ever heard. We all blocked our ears, the sound threatening to burst our eardrums. 

 

My ears rang as I took my hands away, glancing at them and seeing blood. My comrades and I looked at each other before nodding, knowing what we had to do. It was our duty. We would protect our village. We leapt into action, uniting with the other teams around us, before a great light blinded us, followed be a shockwave that threw us backwards. Just as I slammed into a rooftop, I heard my name being called.

 

“Narumi! We can’t sleep all day! Get up!” Someone whined, gently kicking my side. I opened my eyes to the sunlight streaming through the trees, and a white-haired boy standing over me with his hands on his hips. I groaned, rolling over.

 

“Kakashi, when you take the night shift, you’ll thank me for letting you sleep for an extra hour.” I grumbled, before sitting up, rubbing my hand over my face as someone chuckled softly from behind me.

 

“Narumi, you don’t know him well, but he’s going to be a great ninja one day. He’ll probably need to sleep even more than you do!” I looked over as Minato laughed gently, Kakashi folding his arms as I stood up. I looked him over, nearly as tall as me and so young. I shook my head, chuckling softly as I brushed myself off. I walked over and sat on the rock beside him, smiling gently. “You feeling alright?” he asked, and I nodded, looking over with a soft smile.

 

“I’ll be fine.” I told him, watching as the two younger ones of Minato’s students chased each other around.

 

“That’s not what I asked, Narumi.” He chided, and I looked up at him, he had a soft smile on his face, but his eyes were piercing as ever. I shrugged and stood up, stretching out.

 

“And yet, that’s what my answer is. Now come on, I want to get this message to the Third as soon as possible. Because the sooner I do that, the sooner I can eat and rest.” I told him, as Obito stopped before us, sighing. 

 

“All you do is rest. If you rested less, we’d already be there.” He groaned. 

 

“Obito!” Minato chided as I chuckled, reaching out and ruffling his hair. 

 

“Yep. You’re an Uchiha alright.” I told him, before looking to Minato as the wind picked up a little. “Shall we?” Minato nodded and stood.

 

“We’re not that far off anyway. Just an hour or two.” He noted, before Rin spoke up.

 

“But Minato Sensei, we could get there in less than that if we ran the way we normally do.” She complained, albeit shyly. Minato and I both sighed. I wasn’t really in the physical condition to go running through the forests, but she wasn’t wrong. I rested my hand on the scroll tied to my belt, knowing that the sooner I got this to the village, the better. I smiled over at Minato, who looked at me warily.

 

“I think we can keep up with these little tikes, don’t you?” I asked him, noticing that he looked me over carefully. He stood, nodding.

 

“But if we need to stop, we will. Without hesitation.” He assured me, and I smiled coyly. We both knew that I wouldn’t tell him if I needed to stop. Especially over such a short distance. I hummed a response as Minato got up. 

 

“Alright team, let’s go. But remember, if the Lady Narumi needs to rest, that is what we will do.” He told them, and I scoffed, flicking my hair from my eyes with a smirk, before falling in-step as Minato gave the order to move out. The trees flew by, the wind whistling past out ears as we launched ourselves into the canopy, jumping from branch to branch at speeds we shouldn’t be able to manage. 

 

When we finally broke through the trees, the gate to the Hidden Leaf almost glistening before us, I fell to one knee, trying to catch my breath, my entire body aching, my lungs screaming for air. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked up to see Minato offering me his other hand with a soft smile. I took his hand, shakily standing back up. He pulled my arm over his shoulders, shaking his head gently with a soft chuckle. 

 

“I forgot how stubborn you are.” He mused and I chuckled. I shook my head, getting a steady footing again.

 

“As always, Minato, you’re mistaking my motivation to get food and sleep as stubbornness.” I told him as the team fell in step beside us, Rin watching me carefully. 

 

“She needs to see a medical ninja, Sensei.” She told him, and I smiled, nodding.

 

“You’re not wrong, Rin, is it?” I asked, and she nodded. We walked through the village, pausing as we passed a row of shops.

 

“Rin, Obito, Kakashi, run ahead and tell the Hokage that we have arrived back, and ask him to please meet me and the Lady Narumi at the hospital.” He instructed. They all straightened up and nodded, their faces as serious as could be, before running off away from us, as Minato lead me to another part of the village. 

 

“Minato, I really should hand this to him in a secure location.” I warned, looking down to check that the scroll was still attached to my belt. He nodded, glancing at the scroll.

 

“The hospital is secure. And you really should get treated as soon as possible.” he assured me and I sighed. There was no arguing with this guy. We walked over to the hospital, and he lead me inside, where we were guided to a room and rushed with medical ninja. I sighed, sitting down on the bed and taking off my jacket, revealing the burns on my arms. On my right side, they were burnt so badly that they had instantaneously scarred, and I scoffed, amused, lying down, as directed by the medics. 

 

“That’s a new development. It hasn’t scarred that quickly before.” I hummed, looking over at Minato, whose eyes were focused on my arm as the medical ninja worked, before looking away as they started to use their medical ninjutsu.

 

“You didn’t seem to sleep well last night.” He mused, and I shrugged my shoulders, looking to the ceiling as the scene played in front of my eyes. I couldn’t shake the bad feeling I had about it.

 

“A lot of people get nightmares, Minato.” I huffed, closing my eyes and trying not to wince as pain shot through my arm, before looking to the two working on it. “As much as I appreciate the effort, don’t waste your chakra. It’s not going to heal for long.” I told them, but they ignored my warning, and continued to work on healing my arm. One of them whispered to the other before the one who seemed to be in charge looked at me.

 

“How far does the damage spread to?” she asked, and I rolled my eyes.

 

“This is my point. It’s throughout my entire torso, and this arm. And it’s just going to keep spreading. So give up now. You’ll die before you fix it.” I huffed, looking to Minato, who had raised his eyebrows at me. 

 

“I didn’t realise it had spread.” He told me solemnly, and I shrugged as the doors opened and the Third Hokage walked in. I pulled my arm away from the medical ninjas and sat up, much to their objection. I pulled out my scroll and bowed my head, presenting it to the Hokage. He walked over and took it from my hands, before looking me over, his eyes sad. 

 

“Lady Narumi. I thought I asked you to be careful before you left our village.” He told me. I smiled and sat up, cocking my head slightly.

 

“If I was known for being careful, they never would have trusted me to get that message to you, Hokage.” I replied, and he dropped his head, before looking to the medical ninja.

 

“How is she?” he asked them. They looked stressed, looking from the Third, to me, to Minato, and back to the Third. 

 

“The damage… It’s…” they stuttered before I rolled my eyes and interrupted them.

 

“It’s the same diagnosis as always. ‘If you keep using chakra and acting the way you do, you’ll be dead in a year.’ Yada, yada, yada. Yet here I am, year after year, not dead yet. So yeah, the damage has spread through my chest, and yeah, it’s probably not going to stop there. But it’s also not going to stop me. So if you can think of a way to stop this in those big brains of yours, please let me know. If not, I know the diagnosis.” I told them, and they were still for a while, before excusing themselves, mumbling about medicinal herbs for the burns. I sighed, stretching out the fingers of my right hand, still amazed at how I could still move them.

 

“Lady Narumi…” the Third began, sitting on the edge of my bed with a heavy sigh, and I brushed my hair from my face.

 

“Sir, I’ve been told that I’m going to die in less than a year by every medical ninja and doctor that I’ve encountered, since I was born. I know what my diagnosis is. I know how long I have left much better than they have. And I promise you, if I die within the next year, it won’t be due to this.” I told him, before looking out the window, watching some clothes drying on a line, swinging gently in the breeze. I had grown tired of the constant countdown. The never-ending wondering if today will be the last day that I wake up. If tonight will be that night when I can’t breathe, and the pain becomes too much, and my body just gives up. I was sick and tired of it too. 

 

“But, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay the village in a while. I have some things that I will need to return to Getsugakure to attend to in a few weeks, but for now, I’d really like to stay here.” I half-asked, half-stated. I looked back to the Hokage as he nodded. 

 

“Of course. And, as always, if you wish, and if you are able, you are welcome to train, and to go on missions with our own shinobi, if you so desire.” He told me, and I looked down, before nodding.

 

“Thank you, Lord Hokage.” I replied, my mind fuzzy. If I worked with the Leaf ninja, it would occupy me until the inevitable end. But it also might accelerate my condition, and it might result in them feeling responsible to take care of me. “I will consider that offer.” The Hokage looked me over once more before sighing and nodding, getting up. 

 

“Well, in either case, I wish you a speedy recovery.” He told me, and I smiled softly, bowing my head as I thanked him, before watching as he put his hand on Minato’s shoulder and leaned in close. He whispered something to him, and Minato nodded, before the Hokage left. I sat back against the pillow behind me, quietly letting out a pent-up breath. Minato stepped up beside the bed and put a hand on my shoulder. 

 

“Get some rest, Lady Narumi. If you need anything just ask for me.” He told me, and I nodded before he turned away and walked towards the door. 

 

“You know, there’s no need for titles. Just Narumi is fine.” I called before he stepped through. He turned back around with a smile.

 

“Alright then. Get some rest, Narumi.” He said before walking out, closing the door behind him.

 

I sighed, pulling the blankets up around me as I settled down, falling asleep, watching the golden light of the sunset fade across the village as night fell.


	2. Chapter 2

I crept along the edge of the wall, the first yellow haze of the sunrise beginning to rise over the village. Sweat dripped down the back of my neck, and I wasn’t sure if I was feverish, but I didn’t care. I ran through the streets, trying to stay hidden as much as possible, which wasn’t hard due to the lack of people out at this hour. I noticed a stairway that climbed along the cliff that the village backed up to, and set that as my aim. I kept an eye on the sunrise, reaching the cliff face as the first sliver began to beam over the side of the horizon. I was heaving, barely able to catch my breath, but I pushed past it and centred myself, gathering up my chakra and sending it towards my feet. I took a few tentative steps up the cliff face, knowing that I’d miss it if I took the stairs. Four steps up the cliff and I was still able to maintain it, so I ran. 

 

I tumbled onto the plain at the top of the cliff, heaving, all my limbs shaking, but I managed to sit up and face the sunrise. I watched as the light slowly reached across the forest tops, towards the village, beginning to wake it from its slumber. Shutters slowly began to open, awnings of shops began to roll out. The sun slowly crawled its way up the cliff face, before hitting me and warming my body. I let it seep through my skin, relishing the slow, dry heat, met in perfect harmony by the light breeze rolling towards the village. I sighed and slowly unwrapped the bandages on my arm looking at how much had scarred over, even just since last night. As I watched, I could feel the ripples of uncontrolled chakra rushing beneath my skin, trying to break through the surface. 

 

I heard soft footsteps behind me, and turned just in time to see Minato walk up and sit beside me, leaning back on his hands and sighing as he looked out over the village. 

 

“It truly is beautiful at sunrise, isn’t it?” he mused as I began wrapping back up my arm. I felt him look at me, and saw him sit forward, crossing his legs as he leaned to get a better view of my arm. “Is it still painful?” he asked, and I sighed, covering up the last of it and fastening the bandage as I shrugged.

 

“I’ve learned to deal with it.” I told him, glancing at him as he looked down, pity in his eyes. “How have you been, Minato? It’s been a long time.” He hummed a response, looking out at the village. I sighed, reaching over and nudging him with my elbow. “I heard you’re leading a team. ‘Molding the minds of the newest generation of Leaf ninja’.” I hummed, chuckling softly. He seemed to chew on a thought before looking at me with a smile. 

 

“They’re very promising. Kakashi Hatake is advancing faster than any of us would have thought.” He told me, a fond smile on his face. I raised an eyebrow.

 

“Hatake?... As in…?” I trailed off as he nodded, and pursed my lips. I should have noticed the resemblance. I looked at Minato, he was protective of them. If he was ignoring the Hatake family’s past, then there was no reason to bring it up. I sighed and stood up, stretching my arms above my head. I looked out across the village, freezing as a flash of my nightmare flit across my eyes. The skies were dark and clouded, the beast prowling towards the gate. Something flit near my eyes and I blinked hard, suddenly seeing blue skies, and Minato’s fingers clicking in front of my face. I stepped back, startled, before tripping and falling back, onto the ground. I laughed lightly before huffing, brushing my hair from my face as I squinted up at Minato, who was looking at me, concerned.

 

“You worried me there for a second. Are you ok?” he asked me, offering his hand. I chuckled, shaking my head lightly as I took his hand and stood up. I brushed myself off and chuckled.

 

“I’m fine. Just got lost in thought for a second.” I assured him, and he looked at me sceptically. 

 

“You sure that’s all? You went pale as a ghost.” He told me, and I chuckled, pushing at his chest lightly.

 

“I’m sure. Race you to the bottom.” I told him, jumping over the side of the cliff, centering my chakra at my feet again, and pressing them against the cliff face, running with my momentum. A couple of pebbles fell beside me, crackling down to the ground as Minato fell in-step easily beside me.

 

“I’m not sure that this is what they meant by ‘resting’.” He scolded, and I chuckled jumping as we got near the bottom, and rolling as I hit the ground, before rolling to a standing point. I chuckled softly, putting my hands in my pockets, as he landed with ease and precision beside me. 

 

“How’s…” I trailed off, her name escaping me, and clicked my fingers. Minato raised an eyebrow as I gestured towards my hair. “Red…” I told him, before covering my eyes with my hands, embarrassed as he chuckled.

 

“Kushina is very well, thank you. I’m sure she’d love to see you again.” He told me, and I smiled, shaking my head. 

 

“I haven’t seen her in years…” I mused, and he shrugged. 

 

“You wouldn’t have seen me in that long too, if we hadn’t run into each other on missions.” He hummed and I huffed, rolling my eyes. 

 

“If you’re trying to guilt-trip me, it’s not going to work.” I told him as we turned, walking up the street leading to the hospital. He shook his head with a smile, chuckling. I looked up at the blue smile, chuckling lightly before pain shot through my chest, something getting caught in my throat. I covered my mouth as I coughed to clear it, but I found I couldn’t, my chest constricting as a fit of coughing hit me. My knees buckled as I struggled to get air, spitting out the liquid suddenly in my mouth, to find that it was bright red. Minato gasped beside me as I froze, before suddenly I was in his arms as he sprinted to the hospital. We were inside almost faster than I could register it, medics following us hurriedly as he gently lay me down on the same bed as before. 

 

Medical ninja rushed to my side as I sat up, pushing them away, only to be wracked with more bloody coughs, much to the dismay of the medical ninja. I groaned and flopped back on the pillow, wiping my mouth. I huffed as they used ninjitsu to try to heal my lungs, ignoring my tired, half-attempts to stop them.

 

“Don’t waste your chakra.” I sighed, closing my eyes and wincing as I felt my body rebel against trying to heal with the chakra being forced into me. “You’re literally going to make it worse.” I huffed before closing my eyes, trying to separate myself from the pain as I felt my chakra bubble up beneath my skin and in my organs. I grit my teeth as it surged to the surface and tore through my skin, cutting deep and tearing through my veins, arteries and nerves.

 

I shot up, pulling my arm to my chest and curling into a ball. I gritted my teeth, determined not to make a noise. A hand took hold of my other one and squeezed gently. Warmth began to spread across my arm and through my chest. I sat up, and looked down, seeing the blood-stained sheets. One of the medical ninja reached out to take my hand, but I pulled away, looking at him.

 

“Don’t…” I snapped, before sighing, allowing him to take my hand. “Please don’t heal further than skin deep. You can see how it’s worse now, so please just stop the bleeding and leave it at that.” I told them, my voice small as the room began to spin a little. I pinched the bridge of my nose scrunching up my face to try to gain back my balance. Minato took my hand away from my face and gently eased a glass into it.

 

“Just drink some water. It might help with the dizziness.” He told me, and I took a sip, and another, before taking a large gulp of it. He put on hand on my back, taking the glass from me with the other, before letting me settle down. I don’t know if I passed out, but the next thing I remembered, I sat up, the pain having eased, and sighed heavily. I just wanted to move, as always. Sitting still was never my forte.

 

I sighed and swung my feet over, onto the cool floor. The room began to spin, but settled quickly. I took a deep breath, looking around and seeing my jacket folded beneath the bedside table. I slipped my arms into it, trying not to pull at the skin. I sighed again, slipping on my shoes and grabbing my keys before leaving. I checked myself out and began to walk to my rented apartment. I put my hands in my pockets and sighed, the crisp, cool air rustling my clothes and hair as it fluttered by. 

 

I walked through the village until I reached the gate where I paused, looking up at it. It looked so sturdy and spectacular now, where, in my dreams, it looked ready to crumble. I sighed before smiling and waving at the guards at the gate. 

 

“See you guys in a few hours.” I called, before walking out, turning to head for the nearby river. Splashing my face with water would hopefully clear my mind a little. And I could always work on a little chakra control while I was at it. I walked through the woods, lost in thought, my feet following the same path they had travelled a thousand times in my youth. I came across a familiar clearing, the river running freely through it, the treeline a little receded on either side. I walked over to the water’s edge, kneeling down and splashing my face, the cool water pristine and refreshing. 

 

I leaned back on my heels and sighed, looking around. This place was so peaceful. Suddenly, the whole place flashed red with fire before me, a sharp pain stinging through my eyes. I covered my eyes with one hand, catching myself from hitting the ground with the other. I shook myself, steadying myself and reaching forward, cupping my hand and filling it with water before splashing it over my eyes and the back of my neck. I sighed heavily, taking a drink of the cool water before slowly standing up. I looked around carefully, and on not seeing anyone around, I took off my jacket and my tunic, along with my trousers, so I was just standing in my tight crop top and shorts. I walked out into the water, noticing the sudden change in depth before I stepped in. I sighed and jumped off the little ridge, the water rushing around my legs before I plunged into the deeper part of the river. I let the water rush around me, swimming a little to keep my place before I surfaced, only a little downstream from where I had jumped in. I sighed with a soft smile the soothing water cooling down my warm skin. I swam back upstream to my clothes and pulled myself out, walking across the grass for a few steps before widening my stance and closing my eyes, centring myself. 

 

I slowly began to run through a set of Taijutsu moves, taking my time to phase through each one, keeping my balance centred. Slowly, I began moving through the motions of the different ninjitsu signs and moves that I knew, never initiating them.

 

“You know, your sudden patience when it comes to your training has always amazed me.” A familiar voice called from behind me. I turned my head to see Minato standing, leaning against a tree. I rolled my eyes, shaking my head at him. I sighed, turning back around and closing my eyes, concentrating as I moved from one stance to another.

 

“It’s not sudden. It’s just selective.” I told him, and he chuckled. I sighed, carefully turning on my heel into another position, facing towards Minato. “I spend enough time trying to concentrate on stopping my chakra from tearing my body apart to be patient with much else. Training is a necessity. Politeness is a waste of energy most of the time.” I told him, standing up and shaking off some more of the water. He shook his head, before cocking his head to the side as he always did, looking me over.

 

“You’re not going to rest for another day?” he asked softly, and I shrugged.

 

“It’s a case of rest and feel better, only to have my body torn apart, or don’t rest, train, feel worse, but be in less pain. I choose the latter, every time.” I told him as he walked over.

 

“Kushina wants you to come over for dinner tonight, to catch up.” He informed me and I smiled softly, the wind pulling droplets of water from my hair.

 

“Is she still as headstrong as ever?” I asked him, looking up at him. He really had grown into a strong man. It was clear that Minato was meant for great things. He chuckled softly, shrugging.

 

“Do you really think she’d ever not be?” he asked, running his hand through his hair, grinning. Minato and Kushina’s love was one of the purest things I had ever seen, and the happiness they found in each other was completely infectious. I chuckled softly, wringing my hair out a little.

 

“How’s about this; You train with me for a few hours, and I’ll come to dinner with you and Kushina.” I bargained, smirking at him. Of course I wanted to catch up with my old friends, but we both knew that I didn’t back down from a bargain. Minato wasn’t going to let me train alone while I was injured, even though I was always injured. But he also wasn’t going to try to tell Kushina that he let me say no to her dinner invitation. He sighed heavily, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked up at me, a wry smile on his lips.

 

‘Always the master at bargaining.” He mused, before huffing as I shrugged.

 

“Well, it is my job.” I replied with a grin. He rolled his eyes, settling into an easy fight stance.

 

“Fine. But we stop as soon as…” he began, before I rolled my eyes, hopping excitedly.

 

“As soon as I feel that I need to. I know. I know.” I huffed with a grin, before settling into a fight stance, a little away from him as he shook his head, laughing gently at me. He opened his eyes, a playful smirk pulling at their corners.

 

“Let’s go, then.”


	3. Chapter 3

I huffed, blowing a strand of hair from my face. Pinned again. That’s five times out of six. I had really gotten rusty. Minato grinned at me before getting up and offering me his hand. I propped myself up on my elbows sighing as I looked up at his smirk.

 

“Five out of six. You’re out of practice, Narumi.” He chided as I groaned, taking his hand and getting back to my feet, brushing myself off.

 

“Well, I’m good at my job so I never have to get into a fight.” I told him, pulling my hand on his shoulder as the blood rushed from my head. He put his arm around me, keeping me upright as I regained my balance, before smiling and walking over to my shoes and clothes. I pulled my trousers back on over my shorts, and slipped into my jacket again, smiling as the sun-warmed material hit my skin. I flopped onto the ground, brushing off my feet as I pulled on my shoes, Minato putting his hands on his hips, looking at me.

 

“Is that so?” he mused, and I grinned and nodded. “I didn’t think that Getsugakure had much trouble with anything.” He told me, raising an eyebrow. I shrugged and got up again.

 

“We don’t. Neighbouring villages, lands, feudal lords…” I trailed off, rolling my eyes at the last one, flicking my hair back, off my face. “They’re the ones sending me and the few other ninja in the village off on stupid errands. Stealing back stupid shoes, delivering junk mail, running after drunk samurai.” I sighed and shrugged. “That’s why I travelled around. One of the reasons. I made a name for myself. Not so that I’d be renowned, but so that people knew I could do my job fast.” I told him, beginning to walk back to the leaf, feeling hungry. Minato fell in-step beside me.

 

“Not as fast as the infamous Yellow Flash of the Leaf, of course.” I jabbed, nudging him with my elbow as he rubbed the back of his neck with a smile. 

 

“You could be if you tried.” He offered and I rolled my eyes, chuckling.

 

“Yes, and burn off all my skin and destroy all of my nerves while I’m at it.” I said, rolling my eyes. I sighed, looking up at the trees, running my hands through my still-damp hair. I let my hands fall back to my side, looking over at him with a smile. “I think I’ll stick with my little jobs, thanks.” I told him with a smile, hearing a rustle behind us. I turned around, walking backwards, noticing that Minato was more tense too. I put my hands behind my head with a smile, looking out behind us with a sigh. “I’ve missed these woods.” I sighed, giving myself the excuse to survey the trees, seeing three shadows flitting through them, before I turned around, stepping a little closer to Minato. 

 

“Three.” I told him, and he nodded, moving to reach for the kunai in his pouch, before a high pitched voice called out to us.

 

“Sensei!!” Rin called as they came into our line of vision. I sighed, shaking off the nerves that had pooled in my gut as Minato turned around with a smile. 

 

“Sensei, Lord Hokage wants to talk to you!” Obito told him as they came to a stop before us. Minato smiled as he sighed, and I kept my eyes trained on the trees behind the kinds, my spine tingling. 

 

“Well then, it’s a good idea we’re on our way back anyway.” He mused, and they began to walk again, towards the village, Obito and Rin bickering over who should have told Minato the news. I stayed still, closing my eyes to listen as they passed me, the wind blowing towards the village, carrying the sounds of the forest towards us. I clenched my fists, opening my eyes and jogging to catch up with the others. I fell in-step beside Minato, Kakashi walking a little ahead of us, with Obito and Rin still bickering a little in front of him.

 

“We’ve got a tail.” I told him quietly, and he nodded. 

 

“We’ve had one since before we even reached you. They’re good. I don’t know if they’re tracking us or you.” He told me, looking me over and noticing my tense shoulders as we approached the treeline. “Just relax. They’d have to be insane to try something this close to the village.” 

 

We walked up to the gate and through, Rin and Obito running off, turning and calling their goodbyes to Minato, while Kakashi turned and waved with a smile, before turning down a street. 

 

“So you’re coming over tonight? Shall we say 6?” he offered, and I sighed, nodding with a smile.

 

“Sure. I look forward to it.” I smiled, nodding in the general direction of my rented apartment. “I should go, and you need to go meet the Hokage.” I poked him in the chest and he chuckled softly, nodding. “I’ll see you later.” I told him, waving as I walked off. He smiled and waved, before walking off, towards the Hokage’s residence. I sighed heavily, walking off towards my apartment. I turned down a street, before getting the feeling that someone was watching me. I used the opportunity of a passing citizen to smile and mutter a passing greeting, while subtly glancing behind me. A tall figure in a hood was walking along the street a little behind me. I turned down an alleyway and jumped, boosting myself up, onto a rooftop, where I lay down quietly, closing my eyes and almost holding my breath. I heard footsteps stop below me, feet scuffling in the dirt before the seemed to walk away, and I let my pent-up breath out.

 

I kept low, but stood up, walking along the rooftop and hopping to another, before starting to sprint, jumping from one roof to the next, until I reached the street where I was staying. I jumped down, into an alley, before walking out, and across the street to my apartment block. I looked over my shoulder, as I went in, thankfully not seeing the hooded figure before I closed the door and locked it.

 

I sighed heavily, walking straight into the bedroom and opening my closet, pulling out a simple, comfortable pair of leggings and a long tunic. I walked over to my mirror, pulling my hair down, and picking up my brush to tame it a little. It was still a little damp, but it would dry before I headed over to meet them. I laid my clothes out on the bed, taking my jacket off, when there was a knock at the door. I raised an eyebrow, leaning around the doorframe with a raised eyebrow, before walking out, to the door as my visitor knocked again. I unlocked the deadbolt and opened the door, to see Shikaku standing, with his hands on his hips.

 

“You come back and don’t even bother to stop by and see us?” he asked, raising an eyebrow, before a sly smile slid across his lips. I rolled my eyes with a smile, leaning against the door and folding my arms.

 

“I’ve been back all of, what, two days, one of which I spent in the hospital. You know that my shadow clones are useless. What do you want from me?” I chuckled, before nodding towards my kitchen. “Want to come in and catch up?” I offered, and he smiled, shaking his head.

 

“I’ve got to plan out a mission. I just wanted to stop by and see if it was really you.” He told me, before stepping in closer, lowering his voice to a whisper. “There’s someone following you, by the way. They’re hiding on your roof.” He told me, before stepping back with a chuckle. “But maybe we can catch up over sake tomorrow, get the class back together.” He offered, and I smiled, nodding.

 

“Sounds good to me. I need to see the Hokage to ask him about an exterminator though. My apartment has rats. They must have followed me the whole way from Getsugakure.” I chuckled, looking up at my awning, nervous now that I knew I hadn’t lost them. 

 

“You know, I’m not half bad at catching rats, if you need the help.” he offered looking up at my awning and frowning. “They’re gone.” He told me, and I sighed heavily, leaning against the door frame. “Mind if I come in?” he asked, and I smiled, stepping back from the door, locking it after him, before following him into the living room, walking past, into the kitchen.

 

“Tea?” I offered, picking up a saucepan and filling it with water, before turning on the stove and setting it on the lit ring. I turned around to see Shikaku nod as he sat down at the kitchen table. I pulled out two cups and my teapot, pulling out a teabag, placing it inside the pot, before sighing heavily, turning around and sitting down opposite him. 

 

“So they’ve been following you since you left Getsakure?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. I sighed heavily, nodding. 

 

“I thought I had lost them for a while by the time Minato met me, but then they reappeared as we got near to the Leaf.” I told him, tired with being a target. 

 

“Do you think they’re…?” he began, before I interrupted him.

 

“They’re from Getsakure. They call themselves Haitaka.” I told him, running my hand through my hair, before getting up, the water bubbling behind me. I turned off the stove, moving the pot off the hot ring. “They claim that they’re trying to avenge the village, whatever that means.” I sighed, taking out two cups as I let the water cool a little. I set them both on the table and looked at Shikaku. “Our ninja force is very weak. And our training system is even weaker. That’s why I came here. One of the reasons.” I sighed again, turning back to the stove, pouring the hot water into the teapot with the teabag. I put the lid on, and brought it over, placing it on the table as I sat down again. 

 

“The Haitaka trained themselves, using stolen army training documents. They’re skilled at espionage and infiltration, but the specialise in elimination. The problem is that they govern themselves, and are completely rogue. So if you do something that they deem is harmful to the village, they target you. And if someone pays them to take you out…” I sighed heavily, scratching the back of my neck, before pouring the tea. Shikaku nodded his thanks, before raising an eyebrow at me, picking up his cup and raising it to his lips.

 

“What did you do to make them target you?” he asked, and I chuckled nervously, sitting back in my chair, running my finger around the rim of my cup.

 

“What didn’t I do?” I chuckled, before gulping, not really able to hide my fear very well. “Well, to start things off, they think I’m evil thanks to Tsukihito Otoko’s curse, or as our elders like to call it; blessing.” I began, shuddering, and rubbing my right arm. “Then they think I’m super evil because my mother died during childbirth. The fact that I got accepted to the Ninja Academy here as a chunin is more proof that I’m evil, naturally.” I told him, tapping my nails on the side of my cup. “And then there’s the two complicated ones…” I hummed, before sighing. “The village hired me to take out their leader, thinking that there hadn’t been a successor appointed, and that they’d fall apart. But there had been a successor appointed…” I trailed off, chewing my lip. “And he already hated my guts, because I publicly turned him down when he asked me out…” I trailed off, pressing my lips together, and looking up at Shikaku, who was looking at me in disbelief.

 

“So…” he trailed off, taking a deep breath. “So you’re being targeted… because you hurt this guy’s pride…” he pursed his lips as I nodded. 

 

“Half that, and half that they think I’m evil.” I told him, and chewed on the inside of my lip. 

 

“And they’re trying to kill you?” he asked, and I shrugged.

 

“Some of them are. Some of them are trying to bring me back to the village to be punished. Or as normal people would call it; tortured.” I told him with a heavy sigh. He raised an eyebrow and I chuckled softly. “You’re from the leaf, so I wouldn’t expect you to understand, but the Hokages here have always controlled the severity of punishments. They would be severe, but the person would almost always survive, except for the most extreme cases. Interrogations here are child’s play in comparison to what they are at home.” I explained, and he raised an eyebrow. 

 

“I don’t think that Inoichi would quite agree.” He told me and I sighed heavily, looking him square in the eye.

 

“Inoichi would be scarred for life if he saw what went on in Getsugakure. His interrogations always make people break and give up information. Haitaka interrogations break people beyond repair. I’ve seen people dragged from interrogations, no longer able to speak, barely able to move. And they don’t recover.” I gripped my cup a little tighter. “That’s why I ran, and why I was so determined to make connections when I studied here. I needed a safe house in case this happened.” 

 

He nodded slowly and I sighed, raising an eyebrow at him. “Didn’t you say you needed to plan a mission?” I asked, smiling in an attempt to lighten the mood.

 

“It can wait. I just need to finalise some small details, and I don’t want to leave you alone with an assassin tailing you.”

 

I sighed, leaning back against my chair, holding my cup to my chest, letting the steam rise into my face. I closed my eyes for a second, before standing, putting my cup down. “I need to get ready to meet Minato and Kushina. You can stay and finish your tea if you want to.” I told him, walking from the room, stopping at the doorway, my shoulders feeling heavy. “Thank you for coming to warn me.” I told him, walking from the room and into my bedroom, closing the door behind me. I quickly changed, keeping my kunai strapped to my leg, and pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I walked into the bathroom, splashing my face with some cold water, walking back out into the kitchen, where Shikaku was still sitting, sipping his tea. I sighed again, sitting down opposite him.

 

“I’m sorry if I insulted you.” He told me as I picked up my cup, which was still warm. “But if you need any of us, you know that we’re happy to help. This guy has followed you into our village. He’s made himself our problem too, just by doing that.” He told me and I took a sip of my tea, no longer feeling the energy to go out tonight. I glanced at the clock, I would have to leave soon to get to Minato’s on-time. “But we’re going to let you decide what to do for now, because he is from your village.” He said, before sighing and drinking the last of his tea. “But as soon as he tries anything…” he began as I finished my drink.

 

“As soon as he tries anything, he’s attacked a resident of the Hidden Leaf, and he becomes your problem too. I understand that, Shikaku. I’ve got a meeting with the Anbu tomorrow to discuss exactly that. I appreciate the concern, but it’s unwarranted.” I assured him, not able to convince myself that that was true. He stood up, taking our cups and the teapot over to the sink as I stayed where I was, lost in thought. I could have brought something terrible to the Leaf with me. If I got attacked here, the Leaf ninja would step in. Then more of the Haitaka would step in. It could start an outright gang war. A hand on my shoulder shocked me back to the present.

 

“Come on, let’s get you to over there before Kushina throws a fit.” He told me, and I sighed, nodding and getting up, grabbing my keys from the table beside the door, and opening it, letting Shikaku walk through first. I locked it after us, putting the keys in my pocket as we walked down the stairs, and began to head around the block to our destination. 

 

“Are you going to be talking to Danzo tomorrow?” he asked, and I laughed, shaking my head. 

 

“I wouldn’t trust that man with minding a pet fish. No, I’m going to be talking directly to one of the leading Anbu teams. The Hokage has set up the meeting himself.” I explained with a shrug, glancing over my shoulder as a chill ran down my spine.

 

“Stop worrying. They’d be insane to attack you here. Especially in daylight.” He assured me and I sighed. 

 

“He’d be insane to attack me here at all. And yet I still have a tail. I’m not worried about being attacked.” I told him, looking back to the street in front of us. “I know I can handle it. It’s what and who could get caught in the crossfire that I’m worried about. There’s a lot of children around here.” I reminded him, shoving my hands into my pockets as he sighed heavily. 

 

“What happened in Getsugakure wasn’t your fault.” He told me, and I bit my lip, not wanting to think about it. “They’re insane to blame you for it. You were just a kid.” He continued as we reached the door. He looked like he was about to continue talking, when I interrupted him.

 

“Thanks for walking me.” I told him, forcing my voice to be chirpier, knowing Kushina and Minato would hear.

 

“She’s late!” Kushina chided, excessively loudly.

 

“By two minutes!” Minato chuckled as he opened the door with a big smile, scratching the back of his head, before his face fell, seeing Shikaku’s solemn expression. “Everything alright?” he asked, his eyes concerned, as he looked to Shikaku.

 

“Everything’s fine.” I said.

 

“She’s being tailed.” Shikaku told him, at the same time as me. I sighed heavily as Minato looked at me, frowning and glancing at the buildings behind us.

 

“The same…?” he trailed off, looking back to me as I nodded.

 

“On the bright side, I’m now ninety percent sure of who it is. And if I’m right, he knows better than to try to attack.” I assured him, before the door was thrown fully open, and a flash of red flew out, before I was smothered in a hug. I froze for a second, before chuckling and returning it, just as tightly. Just as suddenly as she had grabbed me, Kushina let go, stepping back and poking me, hard, in the shoulder.

 

“Why haven’t you visited? And why didn’t you tell us that you were coming back?” she all but shouted. Shikaku and Minato chuckled softly, and Kushina looked at them as I rubbed my shoulder, smirking. Still the same firey Kushina. “Shikaku, are you staying to eat with us?” she asked, and he smiled, rubbing the back of his head.

 

“I’d love to, but I have plans.” He said and we nodded, before Kushina began to pull me inside.

 

“Thanks!” I called, chuckling at her insistence, before she stuck her head back out the door.

 

“Thank you, Shikaku, for making sure she got here.” She said, and he waved away her concern as she pulled me fully inside, as I started laughing, stepping away, out of her grip, shaking my head at her as Minato called his goodbyes and closed the door behind us, shaking his head at his wife.

 

“Kushi, was that really necessary?” he asked, his hands in his pockets as she put her hands on her hips, before walking into the kitchen.

 

“I didn’t want the food to burn!” She defended, pulling a pot off the stove. Minato and I walked over to the kitchen table, and he pulled out a chair for me. I sat down, smiling my thanks as he chuckled.

 

“You have never burnt anything as long as I have known you.” He mused. She looked over her shoulder with a grin as Minato walked around the table and took out a few plates and bowls, setting them out on the table.

 

“So Rumi, where have you been all these years, and what’s your excuse for not visiting?” Kushina asked and I blushed, chuckling lightly. It had been years since anyone had called me that. I scratched the back of my head lightly.

 

“Well, I average out at five missions a week, so I’ve been busy. I’m sorry I haven’t been around, but after the chunin exams…” I sighed with a chuckle. “It wasn’t long before I was a jonin, it only took me about six months. And with the set up at Getsugakure, I didn’t really have much to do there, and still don’t. So I went on missions for other villages. It’s been a busy few years.” I explained, scratching the back of my head shyly. Kushina handed two bowls to Minato, who placed one beside me along with one before his own place. He then placed a spoon beside my bowl, along with a pair of chopsticks, before taking a large plate of meat and vegetables in the centre of the table. They sat beside each other, across from me. 

 

I bowed my head in thanks, and we began eating.


	4. Chapter 4

“You really got in and out with no ninjitsu?” Kushina asked in disbelief.

 

I chuckled, nodding. “I usually try to because it ends up being quieter and less noticeable for me. It was pretty funny, actually. I stopped before I left, hiding on the rooftop, just watching them run around in a panic.” I smiled rubbing the back of my head. “It’s a benefit of being small, I guess. Getting through small windows was easy for me. They didn’t even consider it.” 

 

Kushina laughed softly, as Minato casually put his arm around her. I sighed with a smile, tapping my fingers against the side of my teacup. 

 

“Are you planning on staying in Konohagakure for long?” he asked, and I shrugged with a smile.

 

“For a while, at least. I need to recuperate for a week or two at least. After that, we’ll see where the work brings me.” I told him with a smile.

 

“You could always help out at the Academy.” Kushina offered and Minato and I chuckled. “What? They’re always looking for extra hands, especially when the jonin go off on their missions.” 

 

I looked up at Minato, who shook his head at me with a smirk, before we looked to the confused Kushina.

 

“Kushi, do you not remember when we were chunin, and we had to spend the day working with the genin?” he asked, and I chuckled, blushing lightly. 

 

“Kushina, do you not remember how bad I am with kids? Even as a kid, I couldn’t deal with them.” I chuckled, and she sighed.

 

“So was Jiraiya, and look at what he produced.” She grinned, ruffling Minato’s hair. I sighed, shaking my head.

 

“Jiraiya was always good with kids, and you know it.” I mused, and Minato shrugged.

 

“I’m sure Lord Hokage would be able to assign you some solo S-Ranks.” I sighed and shook my head.

 

“As much as I’d like to, I couldn’t do most of them without getting myself, or bystanders, killed. It’s just not an option. If there’s some solo infiltration or espionage missions, sure. But I can’t get into a battle. It won’t end well for anyone.” I attempted to explain, before sighing and rubbing the back of my neck with a smile. “Either way, I’m pretty much here on holiday, seeing as I delivered the message I had to.” Minato nodded as Kushina tilted her head to the side.

 

“Did you go back to Getsugakure while you were away?” she asked quietly, and I stiffened.

 

“Kushi…” Minato chided as I laughed nervously.

 

“I figured that avoiding the places where they want me dead was a good idea.” I replied before falling silent and sighing heavily, my body going into fight or flight. “Thank you guys for inviting me over. It’s been great catching up, but I really should get back and rest. Let my arm heal up properly.” I sighed, feeling the chakra surging beneath my skin. I stood, pushing my chair back in as Minato and Kushina stood. Minato smiled softly, while Kushina looked apologetic.

 

“I’m sorry, Rumi. Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” I smiled and nodded. 

 

“I really do need to get some rest. My arm is eating up my energy.” I explained with a sigh, and they nodded, before Kushina came around and gave me a hug.

 

“Don’t be a stranger, ok?” she whispered and I chuckled softly as she let me go. 

 

“I won’t.” I assured her as Minato put his hands in his pockets.

 

“Do you want me to walk you back?’ he offered and I smiled, shaking my head.

 

“I’ll be fine.” I assured him and sighed as I walked over to the door.

 

“Ok. I’ll see you around.” I told them as I walked out the door, waving back as they waved and sighing in the cool night air. I looked around, lost for a second in the dark village, before finding my bearings and walking towards my apartment. I looked up at the stars with a sigh, before I was wrenched into an alleyway and slammed against a wall. I was dazed for a second before I felt something cold and sharp against my neck. Dark spots danced before my eyes, and I tried to blink them away to get a look at my assailant. I saw that his headband had a moon shape on it, and he wore a black armband with a red hawk on it. Haitaka. 

 

“Did you really think that you could run without us finding you?” he growled and I huffed, blowing my hair from my face.

 

“Well, it took you this long to actually catch up with me, so… yeah.” I winced as he pushed the kunai harder against my neck. He wasn’t ordered to retrieve me. I looked into his eyes, seeing dark, emotionless pits. He was about to kill me. “Besides, you’re the first one stupid enough to ever try to hurt me.” I told him, feeling myself shake as the uncontrollable surge of chakra in my arm grew in strength, adrenaline flooding my body. I closed my eyes, letting the chakra surge towards my palm, hearing the skin and bandages tear as it escaped, before I shoved my palm into his chest, sending him flying backwards, and falling to the ground. Unconcious or dead, I didn’t know, but I didn’t wait to find out. I ran out, back around the block, before stopping at Minato’s door, catching my breath as I knocked urgently. 

 

The door was quickly opened with a smile, before he looked at me, his face falling into a frown.

 

“We have a problem.” I huffed, before straightening up as he turned to Kushina.

 

“Kushi, wait here.” He instructed, before following me, and closing the door. He seemed eager to run, but the adrenaline was fading, and the pain in my arm, neck and chest was coming to the surface. We reached the alleyway, where the body lay, flopped against the wall. I fell against the wall beside me, dizzy, pressing my hand to my neck, noticing the warm, wet feeling that was clearly blood. Minato cautiously walked over to the body, before he stiffened.

 

“He’s still breathing.” He told me stiffly, taking a deep breath. “Narumi, he’s from Getsugakure…” he said quietly as two more ninja ran up to us. 

 

“I know. I saw the headband.” I croaked, before my knees gave out beneath me, and I fell to the ground, all of my muscles tired and giving up. Minato and one of the ninja who had joined us were at my side in an instant. The reached out to help me, before I snapped at them.

 

“Don’t! My chakra’s still surging. If you touch me, you’ll only get hurt.” I breathed. 

 

“Go and get a medical ninja, and notify InoShikaCho, along with the Hokage.” Minato ordered one of the men. I was short of breath, so I pushed myself over, so I was sitting with my back against the wall, my right arm flopping out beside me. I looked down, seeing the tattered bandages soaked with blood, which flowed freely from the wounds torn deep in my arm. 

 

“What happened?” Minato asked, and I sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of my nose to attempt to settle the growing dizziness. 

 

“I’m pretty sure that’s who followed us. Shikaku noticed him on my roof earlier, that’s why he walked me over. He pulled me in here, and next thing I know, my head slams against the wall and I have a kunai to my throat. He’s Haitaka.” I explained, gesturing towards his armband. 

 

“But what happened to your arm?” the other ninja breathed as I could head running footsteps getting closer.

 

“That’s just what happens when I use my chakra. That’s why I don’t do it very often.” I explained as Inoichi, Shikaku and Choza slid into view. I looked up and made eye contact with Shikaku.

 

“This is the result what happens when they hesitate in trying to kill me.” I told him, using my left arm to gesture at my right. “You don’t want to see the lengths they’ll go to when they really want me dead.” 

 

Another ninja ran up, a large satchel with him. He slipped past the others, and knelt down beside me, Minato stepping back to let him work.

 

“Don’t use…” I began, stopping as he nodded. 

 

“Chakra to heal anything past the skin, or it’ll make it worse.” He nodded, carefully picking up my arm and peeling what was left of the bandages from it. “The hospital staff informed me.” He explained, looking up and seeing my neck. He lifted my chin slightly with one hand, before placing the other over my neck wound, a green glow encompassing it. I closed my eyes, feeling a sharp pain as the skin knit itself back together. He turned his attention to my arm, and I looked down at it. I hated seeing my arm the way it was. My own chakra shouldn’t do that, and yet, it did.

 

“You’re lucky that that neck wound only broke the skin. Any further and you wouldn’t be alive right now.” He said solemnly, deep concentration on his face as he worked to heal my arm as best he could. I chuckled softly.

 

“Give me some credit. I don’t go down that easily.” I joked, before my eyes fell on Shikaku, who was kneeling beside the body. I swallowed dryly, the headband glaring at me.

 

“Is he really still alive, Shikaku?” I asked, almost hoping he was, that Minato had told me the truth. Yes, he probably wanted to bring me back for a public execution, but he was still one of my people. Shikaku looked at me over his shoulder, before looking back to the body, and standing. My heart sank a little, and I clenched my fists, looking down at my arm.

 

“I see.” I said quietly, gritting my teeth and screaming inside. This damn curse, making my own people hate me, and making me kill them. I remembered every single person I had killed, and regretted every one. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and looked over, to see Minato looking at me, sorrow in his eyes.

 

“It’s alright.” He assured me, and I clenched my fists tighter. It wasn’t alright. We both knew that. I didn’t deal well with death, especially not at my own hands. I dealt worse with the death of someone from my own village. Getsugakure was very small. So every single death made the village that much smaller, that much weaker, that much vulnerable. I sighed heavily, pushing myself to standing, much to the objection of everyone around us. Minato moved to grab my arm, before hesitating, knowing that my chakra was still surging. I walked over to the body and knelt beside it, taking his kunai from it. They were silver, with stars and moons carved on them, the kind you can only get in Getsugakure. I sighed heavily, looking at his face, his eyes staring blankly at the ground. I reached out and closed them, before standing, my heart feeling like a rock in my chest. I shoved my hands in my pockets and began to walk from the alleyway.

 

“But you’re still hur…” the medic began, but I cut him off.

 

“I’m fine.” I grumbled, the kunai cold and heavy in my grasp as I left the alleyway and walked around, towards my house. I could hear them talking quietly as I walked away, but they were soon out of earshot as I turned another corner, and walked up the stairs, to my apartment. I pulled my keys from my pocket and opened the door, feeling tears prick at my eyes. I heard footsteps behind me, and turned to look as Minato ran up the stairs. I pushed the door open, not closing it as he called out.

 

“Narumi!” 

 

I heard him follow me through the door, closing it after him as I walked straight into the kitchen. I dropped the kunai on the kitchen table, my hands shaking as I stopped at the counter, clenching my fists as I leaned against it, tears forcing their way past my closed eyes and splashing down.

 

“Narumi.” Minato called, softer, and closer. “Narumi. It’s ok.” He assured me, beside me.

 

I turned towards him, my knees weak as I fell against him. I had just killed someone from my own village. My own village was sending people after me to kill me. I had killed before, but never someone from my village. The Haitaka were serious about getting me back, dead or alive. I didn’t want to die at their hands. Emotions were crashing around within me, and I didn’t want to feel any of them. I didn’t want to feel anything. Minato held me up, comforting me and shushing me for a while, before easing me into a chair. He hunkered down before me as I put my head in my hands, unable to stop crying. He gently rubbed my shoulders, letting my cry. It wasn’t healthy to keep these emotions in either way.

 

I head the door open, and Minato talk quietly to someone, but it seemed far away. I felt a hand rub my back gently briefly, my sobs slowly fading away, my eyes having a seemingly unending stream of tears. I vaguely registered a blanket being draped over my shoulders, and could hear quiet talking around me, my eyes focused on the splatters of my tears at my feet. I reached back, feeling a headache building, and pulled my hair from its ponytail, as messed up as it currently was. It fell around my face, making me feel better, like I had a shield of some kind from everything. 

 

I stood up, surprising Minato, who I hadn’t noticed was still just in front of me. The blanket fell onto the chair and I stepped around Minato, not looking at him, or any of the faces attached to the five pairs of feet standing around my kitchen and living room. I walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind me. I walked up to the sink, and set the water running, before looking at my reflection in the mirror. It was no wonder why they were acting so worried. I looked like death. Blood was smeared across my neck, my clothes and my arm. I peeled off my dress, dropping it on the floor, and cupped my hands under the faucet, the warm water filling them quickly. I washed my face, neck and arm, removing the blood from them, the steam letting me breathe at last. The bandages across my chest were a little smeared with blood, and looked like they needed to be changed either way. I turned off the faucet, stopping the flow of water, and brushed my hair back, noticing how heavy my limbs were. I picked up my dress from the floor and opened the door, walking back into the living room and turning towards my bedroom.

 

“Narumi?” someone called, but I ignored them. I needed to breathe before I could talk. I closed my bedroom door behind me, and walked to my cupboard, opening it and taking out clean bandages. I untied and began unwinding my current ones when there was a knock on my door.

 

“Narumi? I’ve just made some tea if you’d like some?” Kushina offered softly. I sighed heavily, pulling at the ends of the bandages to loosen them and make my job easier. 

 

“Yes please. I’ll be out in just a minute.” I assured her, but my voice felt small to me, timid and scared. I finished unbinding my chest, dumping the bandages into the trashcan in the corner of my room. I grabbed my clean bandages and re-bound my chest, before binding my arm again, securing them both. I grabbed a warm, soft undershirt and pulled it on, pulling my green combat waistcoat on over it, grateful for the added warmth. I sighed, running my hands through my hair and opening the door, walking back out, towards the kitchen. Inoichi, Chojiro, Shikaku, Minato and Kushina were all standing and sitting around, sipping cups of tea, talking in hushed tones. I sighed, attempting to smile as Kushina walked over to me, handing me a cup with steam rising from it. I attempted a smile as I accepted it, wrapping my hands around it as I sat down with a huff, looking up at the four men who were clearly on-guard and had been discussing what sort of protection I should have.

 

“You know, if I needed a protection detail, I’d be the dead one right now.” I grumbled, tucking one of my legs up, under the other, gripping my cup tight. They shifted uncomfortably, and I sighed.

 

“You’re all clearly on-guard, when there’s obviously no more reason to be, and you’re also very predictable.” I huffed, before looking at Kushina, who had sat beside me. “Thanks for the tea.” I told her, attempting a smile. She nodded, smiling softly and reaching out to squeeze my hand.

 

“They’re actually discussing how to stop me from hunting down these Haitaka and giving them a piece of my mind.” She jested and I chuckled softly.

 

“Seeing as it’s you, Kushina, I wouldn’t be surprised.” I noticed the guys shift a little and I sighed heavily, looking to them.

 

“Seriously. I’m fine. They won’t risk sending anyone else into the village, because they’re not that stupid. So you guys can relax. Everyone’s safe for now. Okura was an idiot. It wouldn’t surprise me if he came on his own orders.” I huffed, swirling my fingers around the rim of my cup, the steam dancing between them. I looked up to see the four of them looking at me with pure disbelief on their faces. Kushina reached over and squeezed my hand.

 

“It’s her village, so it’s her decision on whether or not you can all just go off with a vendetta. So just listen, sit down and drink some tea. There’s been enough stress for one day.” She told them, before looking at me with a smile. We both looked back to them, a no-nonsense look on her face. Minato looked from Kushina, to me, before back to her. He held her gaze for a few seconds, before sighing. He stepped forward as the others sighed, and he sat down at the table.

 

“Fine.” He sighed, and the others all sighed, their shoulders slumping. I sat back in my chair, trying not to react to the shooting pain in my arm. Inoichi looked up at me, frowning.

 

“I don’t remember when Getsugakure was rebuilt. Wasn’t it completely destroyed in the first Shinobi World War?” he asked, and I sighed heavily, nodding.

 

“Yup.” I told him, popping the ‘p’. “Until it got rebuilt by refugees after the second.” I told him, rolling my eyes as I sat back. “And then the Haitaka formed and took over soon after that.” I huffed, taking a sip of my tea. “They should have left it as dust.” I breathed, gripping my cup tighter. Chojiro stepped forward, placing his cup on the table as Shikaku took the last seat.

 

“What makes you think that they won’t try again, or that you could handle it yourself if they did attack?” he asked, straightening up and folding his arms. I ran my hand through my hair, shaking it out.

 

“Well, for one, as mad as they might be at the great nations for trampling over their village, they’re terrified of you. And second, I killed a man by releasing a tiny amount of my chakra. If they try to attack where there might be people caught in the crossfire, I won’t hesitate to tear them apart.” I told him, looking up at him and gripping my cup tighter. “I may not like it, but I know what I’m capable of, Chojiro. I could stop them if they gave me reason to believe that killing them was the only way. But I don’t believe that that’s true.” 

 

The room fell unnaturally quiet, and I pulled my knee up to my chest, resting my heel on the edge of the chair. I picked up my cup and took a sip of my tea. The image of Okura’s chest, blasted open by my chakra, his eyes staring blankly at the ground, lifeless, hazily appearing before my eyes. Someone elbowed me, and I blinked, looking up to see worried faces watching me carefully.

 

“What?” I asked, looking at Kushina, who had elbowed me. She sighed softly.

 

“Do you want them to tell the Hokage, or would you prefer to do it yourself?” she offered, most likely repeating it. I put my cup down, scratching the back of my head with a soft chuckle.

 

“Sorry, I zoned out a little. If you don’t mind, could you guys tell him?” I asked, my voice small as my eyes fell to the table. I glanced up to see them nodding, and Shikaku stood up. He pulled on his jacket, pushing his chair in.

 

“I’ll go and get an Anbu team to take up post around your apartment. I’ll be back in a minute.” He said, before leaving.

 

I sighed again, hearing small raindrops begin to patter on the awnings outside.


	5. Chapter 5

“You should try to get some sleep.” Kushina suggested, my eyes blankly staring at the back of the Anbu guard outside my window.

 

“I doubt I’ll be able to.” The door opened, and Minato walked through. I sighed, relieved, before smiling softly at Kushina. “But you two should head back. It’s getting late.” 

 

Minato frowned as he walked over, Kushina folding her arms and frowning. “Don’t you want some company for the night?” he asked. I shrugged.

 

“I probably won’t sleep in the first place. I’ll sleep less if I have other people here to worry about.” I told them before nodding towards the door, smirking as Minato put his arm around Kushina’s shoulders. “Go have fun, you crazy kids.” I told them, winking. Kushina tilted her head to the side as Minato scratched the back of his neck, coughing awkwardly.

 

“You’re sure you’ll be ok?” she asked me quietly. I sighed and nodded with a smile.

 

“I’m sure. Either way, the Anbu have got my back.” I assured her. After a little more convincing, they both left, and I closed the door behind them, my shoulders heavy. I had brought the Haitaka to the one place that had ever given me a reason to call it home, and I might have put it in serious danger. I walked back to the kitchen, shaking myself out to stop my hands from shaking, and filled my kettle again, setting it on the stove to boil. I walked over to my window, leaning onto it, smiling as the Anbu ninja standing there turned around.

 

“I’m making tea, would any of you like some? I promise that taking five minutes to come inside and having a cup isn’t going to kill anyone.” I offered with a smile, hoping they’d say yes. As comforting as knowing that they were there was, I’d feel a lot better being able to see them. He scratched his head, laughing slightly.

 

“I’m personally fine, but I can ask the others if you’d like.” He offered, and I nodded, watching the moon shine as he talked to them through his earpiece. He turned back to me after a minute or two, and I smiled softly, looking up at him as I leaned on the windowsill. “There’s a few who would gladly take a cup, if you’re sure.” I waved my hand at him, dismissing his afterthought. 

 

“I have to fill the kettle anyway, so they’re doing me a favour. Tell them five minutes.” I replied, standing up. “And thanks.” I sighed, turning away as he looked back to the rooftops around us, and folded my arms, feeling safer, yet more nervous with them around. I closed my eyes, only to see my kitchen dancing in a fiery mess before me. I clenched my fists and opened my eyes, determined to stop my nightmares from overtaking my conscious mind. 

 

“By the way,” I called over my shoulder as I washed the used cups which sat in my sink. “I was planning on going out to one of the clearings by the river to mediate, in a little while, so you have some warning if you guys want to come with me.” I told him, setting the pot on the stove, and turning it on. He nodded as I glanced over my shoulder at him. I sighed heavily, walking away from the kitchen, into my bedroom, and grabbing my jacket. I pulled it on as I walked back out, jumping, finding that three of the Anbu team on watch tonight were standing in my living room. 

 

“You know, warning would be nice.” I told them, walking to the kitchen and pulling the pot off the lit ring, turning it off. I pulled out my teapot, rinsing it with some hot water before adding a teabag and pouring the rest of the hot water into it.

 

“We wanted to ask if you planned on resting tonight?” one of them asked, caution making his voice waver slightly. I put the pot back onto the stove, putting the lid on the teapot, before I carried it over to the table.

 

“Why is that your concern? You’re on my protection detail because I compromised with Minato, Inoichi, Shikaku and Chojiro. You’re not here because I need someone to take care of me.” I reminded them. “My sleep schedule is not involved with the Haitaka. And for your information, I’m going to meditate because I can’t sleep, and it allows me to rest without having to let my mind run wild.” I could see them all sigh. They had obviously been given very clear orders, but I was giving them a reason to either disobey or I had found a loophole. 

 

I sighed again, running my hand through my hair, shaking it out so it fell messily around my shoulders. “Either way, I’m going. Be grateful that I let you know rather than sneaking out.” I told them, walking over and pouring the tea into six cups, picking up one, my hands shaking. The image of my apartment blazing was still flashing through my mind. I sat down at the table, staring blankly at the wood as the dream, or nightmare, or whatever it was, still played out in my head.

 

“Are you alright, Lady Narumi?” One of them asked, making me snap out of my daze. I shook myself, before picking up my cup.

 

“I’m fine. I just got lost in thought.” I assured them, finishing up my tea. I stood, turning and rinsing off my cup, before drying my hands on the tea towel hanging on the oven handle. I ran my hands through my hair and sighed heavily. Purely meditating wasn’t going to clear, or calm, my mind. I needed to train. I turned back towards the Anbu, three of which were seated around my table. I nodded towards those still outside.

 

“Can you please let them know that I’ll be ready to go in about ten minutes?” I asked, and they nodded in confirmation. I walked into my room, shutting the door after me. I took off my jacket, opening my closet and pulling out my pressure-suit; a very tight, hard, yet flexible piece of body armour, which barely even looked like armour. I pulled off my undershirt, switching it out for a mesh one, pulling the pressure suit’s bodice on over it. I fixed the waistband of my loose pants, so it lay over the end of the pressure suit, before pulling my jacket back on, zipping it up halfway. 

 

I slipped on a set of straps that looped onto each arm, a holster lying in the middle of my back, before crossing my legs and sitting at the base of my bed. I pulled my hair over my shoulder, so it dangled onto my chest, and reached under the bed, lifting up the floorboards and pulling out a long, wooden chest. I let a little of my chakra flow into my hand, before pressing it against the seal on the top of the chest. A second later, I heard a click, the lock unlatching. I lifted the lid of the chest, my katanas catching what little light was in the room as soon as it hit them. I bowed my head a little, in respect. These were not toys, and they only cooperated so long as I respected the power that they held. Simply dropping these, as sharp as they are, could be disastrous, if they hit someone on the way down. 

 

I carefully took hold of their handles, lifting them, and sliding them carefully into their holster on my back. My katanas, my kunai and me, reunited once more. The only team I have ever needed on a mission. I sighed, their weight feeling comforting and familiar on my back. I closed and sealed the box, putting it back under the floorboards again, before standing and walking from the room. I walked towards the door, knowing that if someone from Getsugakure was stupid enough to take me on while I was armed, that I would come out without a scratch. The Anbu did a double take as I walked past them to the kitchen table, picking up my keys.

 

“You guys ready to go?” I asked, double checking that I had something to tie my hair up with. They nodded, standing and following me to the door. I let them out before me, locking the door after us. I looked up at the sky before we set off, noticing the full moon. A shiver ran down my spine, knowing that that moon is the reason why all of this had happened. Why I was cursed. Why the Haitaka were targeting me. One of the reasons, at least. We set off, running through the village, before pausing at the gate, letting the night watch know where we were going, before running out the gate and disappearing into the trees. I glanced over my shoulder multiple times while we ran before one of them came up closer to me.

 

“There’s no-one following us. And if there were, we would have stopped them already.” He told me. I sighed, dropping to the ground as the trees cleared, the same clearing that Minato and I had sparred the other day. I sighed, walking over to the water.

 

“I’ve been watching my own back for my whole life. It’s a hard habit to shake.” I explained, slipping my arms out of the straps keeping the katanas on my back. I lay them down carefully at the water’s edge. I shook off my jacket and sat down, laying it beside the katanas. I took off my shoes and began unwinding my bandages.

 

“Should you really be doing that? Your burns have barely healed.” One of them called cautiously. I chuckled lightly. 

 

“Have you heard the story of why this all happens?” I called back, vaguely gesturing to my arm. Taking his lack of a reply as a “no”, I continued. “I was born under a blood moon, Tsukihito Otoko clearly didn’t like that I dragged the attention away from a night where everyone reveres the moon. Or as some would say, he chose me to “inherit something great”.” I added, rolling my eyes. “Honestly, I don’t believe the latter, but either way, whatever happened, my chakra multiplied. It grew incredibly strong, to the point where I can let it materialise as pure chakra, without giving it a form.” I carried on. I stood, removing my trousers, so I was just in my shorts, my undershirt and my pressure suit. “Under the full moon is the only time that I can train, learn to control it, without it getting out of my grasp and…” I sighed, waving my arm in the air. “…absolutely destroying my body.” I said, standing and stepping into the icy river. 

 

“And centring myself while I’m in water helps me to feel the flow of my chakra, which is much harder to do when you’ve got so much, trust me.” I hummed, my feet reaching the edge of the ledge. “I’ll be under for a little while, don’t freak out.” I warned them, before jumping into the deeper part of the river, swimming to the riverbed and crossing my legs, grabbing a rock to help weigh me down as I sat on the base of the river, closing my eyes and feeling it flow around me. The moon was only just rising, so it was still close to the earth, and I could feel it. I could feel the moonlight hitting the water and mixing with it, moving with it while staying still of its own accord. I felt the movement of my chakra align with the movement of the river, and pushed the rock off my legs, pushing off the bottom and propelling myself to the surface. I swam to the ledge, pulling myself up, before walking to the edge, looking down, seeing my chakra glowing, mixed with the water in my wounds, a perfect silver-white, not even slightly painful, for the first time in a long time. 

 

I brushed my hair back from my face and grabbed my katana, slipping my arms into the holster, before drawing them, letting the chakra flow through me, like the water in the river, and into the katana. The strip down the centre of each, made of lighter, crystal-like metal, lit up with the chakra flowing through them. The lighter metal lit up with the same clear white light that the moon and my chakra shone with. Under the full moon was the only time that I ever enjoyed having the chakra that I did, it was the only time that it didn’t try to kill me, the only time when I could truly learn how to control it. 

 

I spread my legs, slipping into a low fighting stance, both katana raised.

 

“I thought you said meditation.” One of the Anbu called and I chuckled, swinging the katana in my right hand in circles above my head as I turned around in the same direction, swinging a backhand strike with my left hand.

 

“This is meditation.” I replied. My moves were slow and deliberate as I fought my invisible enemy, like him and I were moving through honey. It took much more discipline, but resulted in my movements being extremely precise when I actually did have to use my katana in battle. The chakra flowing through them not only made the blades much stronger, but making my body register the katana as extensions of my arms, giving me more control, speed and strength when using them.

 

“If this were training, I’d be moving much faster, I’d be simulating a true fight. This is pure focus. I control exactly how far along the blade the chakra goes.” I told him, cutting the chakra from the tip half of one, making it go dark, just to prove my point. “I control exactly how much chakra goes into them.” I told him, dimming the other, by matching the chakra in the two blades, only spreading the chakra throughout with the other. 

 

“Or, I can use the blades to extend my arms, and then launch my chakra from it, creating a weapon of precise destruction.” I told him, turning my back to them all, and swinging my right-hand blade in a quick, sharp and precise crescent shape, forcing my chakra through the blade, stepping forward, a shout escaping my mouth as I did. A light flashed, before I smirked, standing up straight again, admiring my work. A prefect crescent moon hole was left in the tree I had targeted. 

 

I looked over my shoulder and smirked, before shrugging, and looking down. “It’s great those one or two days a month when I actually have control over it. Less so when it’s tearing my body apart.” I chuckled softly, shaking my head. I settled back into a wider stance, and one of them stepped forward.

 

“Would you like a sparring partner?” he asked, and I chuckled, sheathing my blades and pulling out my hair tie, tying my hair back in a tight ponytail.

 

“Would you really spar against a cripple?” I asked, pouting. There were a few chuckles as I drew my blades again. “Because us underdogs are a little renowned for being able to hold our own, and even, on occasion, kick ass.” I warned him with a wink. He drew his katana, holding a kunai in the other hand. I raised an eyebrow, before shaking my head as I watched him prepare, and step into a low stance. “You’re serious?” I asked, baffled. I shook my head, laughing in disbelief, before looking up at him, a strand of hair getting loose and falling before my eyes.

 

“You want full strength, or do you want me to take it easy on you?” I asked him, grinning. “Remember, I’ve never been caught on a single mission.” I bragged, simply because I could. He shook his head, chuckling. I raised my blades, ready for an attack from anywhere, and closed my eyes. I listened to every heartbeat, every breath, every whisper of wind.

 

He let out a shout from in front of me, and I could hear him running along the ground, his feet whooshing through the grass. But I could faintly make out that same whooshing from behind. I turned so that he was coming at my side, swinging my blades to meet the strike of the shadow clone that had taken the place of the original, and the real one, attacking from behind. I ducked slightly, feeling the breeze as the shadow clone’s blade just missed the top of my head, and feeling the contact at the same time, my right with a solid that quickly dissipated; the shadow clone, my left with something threatening to make my raised arm buckle under the pressure; the real ninja. I continued the arc with my right arm after the shadow clone disappeared, dropping my katana and grabbing his wrist. Using his own momentum against him, and continuing with my own momentum, I continued spinning, and threw him to the ground. 

 

I smirked, opening my eyes, before offering him my hand with a smile. 

 

“Nice try. But you’re better at straight up hand-to-hand than I am, you should probably stick to that.” I told him with a wink. “Leave the fancy sneaking to the espionage expert.” I told him. He blinked, coughing slightly in surprise, before taking my hand and getting up. He brushed himself off as I patted his back lightly, before checking my chakra control, looking at my arm. The chakra was still flowing just beneath my skin, visible in the tears it had previously carved through my skin, glowing white. He looked at it, his eyes fixed on it, and I sighed, feeling the eyes of the others on my arm too.

 

“What is that?” he breathed, and I sighed, walking over and picking up my katana.

 

“My chakra.” I replied simply, looking up at the moon before back to my katanas as I let my chakra flow through, into them again. “Round two? Or does someone else want a go?” I asked, sighing heavily when not a single one replied, all fixated on my arm. A wave of exhaustion hit me and I sheathed my blades, walking over to the river and picking up my bandages, beginning to wrap up my arm again. “I’m done here. Can we head back?”

 

They nodded, snapping out of their trance, and waiting for me to finish bandaging my arm and sheath my blades before leading me back to the village, and to my apartment. They all scattered but three, all taking up their positions around my apartment.

 

“Is there anything else we can do for you?” one of them asked as I opened my door. I shook my head with a sigh.

 

“No, but thank you. I’m just going to try to sleep. Thanks.” I replied, before walking inside and closing, and locking, the door behind me. I dropped my keys in their usual place, walking, zombie-like, into the bedroom, not bothering to change as I fell headfirst into the bed, asleep before I even hit the sheets.


	6. Chapter 6

Tap tap tap tap. Tap tap tap tap. Tap tap tap tap.

I groaned, rolling over, onto my back. I sat up, zombie-like and slowly slumped my way out of the bedroom, to the door, opening it with a yawn. A ninja I didn’t recognise stood there, looking quite peeved, and held out a letter to me. I scratched my head with one hand, yawning as I took the letter from him.

“Lord Hokage is requesting your presence, Lady Narumi.” He told me as I leaned against the doorframe, opening the letter. 

“Immediately, or later? Do you happen to know what this is about?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at him as I pulled the sheet out, unfolding it.

“Lord Hokage would like your assistance with an exfiltration mission.” He told me as I scanned the letter. It didn’t say much more than that, other than I was to arrive at the Hokage’s residence at my earliest convenience. I sighed and looked back at the messenger.

“I’m guessing that you’ve been instructed to escort me there?” I asked, and he nodded. I sighed, opening the door wider, and walking into the kitchen. “Come on in, I’ll be just a minute, I need to change.” I told him, going into my room and quickly doing just that. I walked over to the table beside the door, picking up my keys, before sticking my head out the window. I frowned, not seeing anyone, before jumping as a masked man dropped from my awnings. 

I put my hand on my heart as it skipped a beat, before huffing, flicking my hair from my face. “I’ll be leaving in a few minutes to meet with Lord Hokage. I thought you might want to know.” I told him, and he folded his arms lazily.

“Do you need us to escort you?” he asked, and I shook my head, nodding at the guy standing awkwardly in my living room.

“Nope, that’s his job. And I should be fine getting back. So you guys can probably take a break until then. Though, I wouldn’t mind if you kept an eye out for me?” I asked quietly, still feeling nervous that there might be someone hidden in the village, sent by the Haitaka to… I don’t even know what they might be sent to do, but the idea was set in my mind, and it was unsettling. He nodded, before jumping off, disappearing from my sight. I sighed and turned to the guy in my room, nodding towards the door as I closed the shutters behind me. 

“Shall we?” I offered, walking to the door and opening it, checking that my kunai were in the pouch strapped to my leg. He walked out the door and I followed, locking it behind us.

“You seem to have a lot of people worried.” He noted, and I smiled and shrugged.

“I really don’t know why. I’ve literally crossed the Kanashii ocean to get here. I can handle myself, they just get too focused on how much they care and forget that.” I told him, and sighed, shaking my head. “But that’s not exactly a fault.” I hummed, looking him up and down. “You people of the Leaf are quite the mystery. You all have such big hearts individually, and collectively…” I shook my head with a smile. He smiled softly and shrugged.

“I’m honoured that you think so highly of us. We’re really just an ordinary village. There are families who don’t get along, there’s a divide between the wealthy and the poor. But still, we just try to make sure that everyone has a good place to live and call home in the end.” He assured me, and I chuckled, shaking my head.

“That’s exactly it, though.” I hummed, and he frowned at me. I shrugged, shoving my hands in my pockets. “I didn’t know Getsugakure before the Haitaka, so I can’t speak for it then, but the whole place is monitored and run by them. If you step out of line, even in the slightest way, the punishments are severe. But here, if a kid does something stupid, it’s just a kid doing something stupid. It’s refreshingly humane.” I told him with a sigh, breathing in the clean air.

He seemed to chew on my words as we neared the Hokage’s residence, and walked up to one of the guards at the stairs.

“Lady Narumi.” He greeted me, nodding to his comerade who was still looking perplexed by my words, but nodded in return. “We’ve got it from here.” He assured him, and I smiled, thanking him before walking with my new escort up the stairs.

“I have been told to inform you that you will not be alone during this meeting. Inoichi Yamanaka, Shikaku Nara, Chōza Akimichi, Minato Namikaze and some of your assigned protection detail will be present aswell.” He said, and I froze as we reached the door. Why so many? Did they expect an attack? Or did they plan to attack Getsugakure? Why did they need so many hearing about the situation in a faraway land? I was still blinking, processing that information when the doors opened, and I walked inside, coughing to regain my composure as the group looked to see me enter. I put on a smile, rubbing the back of my neck nervously as I walked in.

“I appreciate the welcoming party, but you all really shouldn’t have come.” I joked, walking to the centre of the room and bowing slightly to the Hokage. “Lord Hokage, I wasn’t expecting such a large group at this meeting. I must ask if the Leaf plans on interfering with the situation in Getsugakure?” 

He dipped his head, a slight chuckle rocking his shoulders. “You always did have a knack of getting straight to the point, Lady Narumi.” He mused as I quickly scanned the room. As I had been told, Inoichi, Shikaku, Choza and Minato were all here, along with three Anbu wearing masks I recognised; from my protection detail, and three more I didn’t recognise.

“To answer your questions; both unasked and asked, the large group is to allow us to analyse your situation from multiple points of view with regards to both your own safety, and the safety of the Leaf. They are also here to consult with both myself and you, Lady Narumi, on whether the situation in Getsugakure is in need of our assistance.” He informed me. I straightened my back, folding my arms and pursing my lips.

“Unfortunately, sir, even if the Leaf did interfere with the situation in Getsugakure, if the Haitaka were defeated and left the village, there would neither be enough people left to support the village, nor would there be anyone left with enough of a spine to lead it in any direction other than down. So, if you don’t mind, while I am happy to inform you of its current situation, I would prefer that the Leaf stayed out of Getsugakure.” I told him, not caring about insulting my village. The Hokage put his fingers together in a prism and looked at me curiously over them.

“Very well. The Leaf will not interfere with the affairs of the Moon at this time. However, I would still like to discuss the events that led to you returning to us here, in the Leaf.” He said, and I nodded, walking up to the large table and taking a seat opposite the Hokage.

“Of course. Where would you like me to start?” I asked, and he looked me over, his eyes lingering on my right arm.

“How about you start from when you returned to Getsugakure after becoming a chunin?” he offered, and I sighed.

“I didn’t return to Getsugakure until after I became a jounin, actually. I returned to the Land of the Moon, but I stayed on the other side of the island. Getsugakure was quiet during that time, but I didn’t want to know what was happening there either way. It took me almost a year to build up the courage to go back.” I admitted, looking down. “And it was awful. The Haitaka had taken what was once a simple country village and turned it into a militant experiment. The ran the place like…” I trailed off, clenching my fists at my sided, and meeting the Hokage’s gaze again. “If I didn’t think that I could do something about it, I would completely regret my decision to go back to see it.” I told him.

“This group, the Haitaka. Tell us more about them.” Shikaku asked, I looked over, meeting his gaze.

“From what I know, they’ve been in Getsugakure since before the last Great Ninja War, but scattered before Getsugakure got hit. What was left of them rebuilt the village. They were led by a dismissed member of the Moon’s Feudal Lord’s personal military force.”

“That’s who you were sent to assassinate.” He remarked, and I nodded, before looking to the Hokage.

“A few years ago, I was hired by the current Feudal Lord of the Land of the Moon, to take out the leader of the Haitaka in an attempt to collapse the organisation and reclaim the land they had overrun. While he himself went down pretty easily, the Haitaka only seemed to grow in size afterwards. None of us had taken into account that he might have been holding his subordinates back. The Haitaka became nothing short of terrorists, effectively holding the citizens of Getsugakure hostage. Unfortunately, they’re a fairly weak-minded people, and fell for their tales of saving the village from corruption.” I explained, clenching my fist tighter. “The few of us who didn’t fall for their tall tales immediately had targets placed on our backs. Some of them were forced into subjugation, as for the others, I’m the only one left standing.” I sighed heavily and ran my hand through my hair, pulling my headband off, and tossing it onto the desk in front of me.

“Honestly, I feel like I’m living a lie by wearing that, but I feel like I’m betraying my people by not wearing it. The Haitaka like to keep strict control over Getsugakure. No-one gets in or out without a harsh interrogation. And if anyone steps out of line, whether or not they’re from the village, the punishments are severe; torture, detaining without food or water for weeks, depending on what you’ve done, they might relieve you of a limb or two, and then there’s the Taka No Me, the Hawk’s Eyes, the Haitaka’s elite force who specialise only in the cruellest forms of torture you could imagine.” I said, a shiver running down my spine at the sheer mention of them. 

“From what I know, the Haitaka have a force about fifty strong, along with twelve commanding officers, and the seven in the Taka No Me. Then there’s less than thirty civilians left in the village, if even that at this stage.” I sighed heavily.

“They’re expert at hand-to-hand combat, with ninjistu secret techniques that not even I know about, or at least consciously remember. They’re expert swordsmen, almost impossible to beat.” I said, trying to wrack my brain for anything I could think of.

“That explains your own prowess with katanas.” One of the Anbu said, and I smiled slightly, looking over at him.

“It’s hard to grow up in that vicinity and not pick up a thing or two.” 

“You said that you don’t consciously remember any more. What did you mean by that?” the Hokage asked, and I rubbed my arm as it started to ache, my nerves setting my chakra sparking, threatening to tear through my skin. I sighed shakily, flicking my hair from my face.

“You already know this, Lord Hokage, but for the sake of those in the room who don’t; I was born with an exceptional amount of chakra, which has proved almost impossible to control, and has torn at my body since I was born. But, I’m sure you could imagine that something that I can barely contain was impossible for me to control as a child. When I was born, it was under a blood moon. Tsukihito Otoko, the immortal in the moon, cursed me with this chakra, which ended up killing my mother in childbirth. Because of this, the Haitaka viewed me as evil, cursed, and an enemy of the village from before I could even crawl. So, due to the slightly uncontrollable nature of my chakra, they needed to ensure that I was controlled. I became very well acquainted with the Taka No Me in my youth, and their methods have either led to me repressing things, or straight up memory loss. So, assuming that it’s not the latter, I don’t consciously have access to a lot of the memories of my time in Getsugakure.” I explained, and I felt the air in the room drop a degree or two in temperature.

“They…” Minato began, before swallowing, his voice still coming out raspy. “They tortured you when you were just a child?” he asked, not looking up at me, his anger, and that of many of those in the room, tangible in the air. I shrugged.

“They wanted control over the uncontrollable. They weren’t exactly going to lure me in with dumplings. Their aim was to brainwash me the same way they had the rest of the village.” I said with a sigh.

“They wanted a human weapon.” The Hokage said quietly, and I nodded.

“They crave power, but they’re too vengeful to ever achieve any sort of control over anything outside of Getsugakure. I’ve lost count of the teams they’ve sent to track, catch, kill, and-or maim me over the years.” 

The room was quiet for a while, everyone taking things in, I looked at Minato, Inoichi, Choza and Shikaku, who were all visibly angry. I almost regretted not asking that they leave first. I took a deep breath, straightening up. 

“It’s that crave for vengeance that makes me ask that the Leaf does not interfere. They won’t hesitate to mow down whoever gets in their way, especially now that they know that I have a connection with the Leaf.” I told him. He nodded carefully, sitting back.

“I will consider your request, however, you must remember that by attacking you in the Leaf, they are also endangering our people, thus we cannot do nothing.” He told me, before looking me over, his eyes weary. “I have a request for you also, Narumi, which you are not obligated to accept.” He told me, and I raised an eyebrow. He nodded at Inoichi, who stepped forward, standing beside me, and I got a sinking feeling.

“I would like to ask that you work with Inoichi Yamanaka to attempt to retrieve some of your… for want of a better word, lost memories.” He asked, and I froze, clenching my fist under the table. “You may have forgotten some faces or names, or even some overheard plans, which may be of great help to us in helping you help your village.” He told me, and I swallowed dryly, standing.

“Fine. If that’s all, and you don’t mind, I’d like to be excused.” I told him. He nodded slightly, and I was out the door in a flash. I ran out the door and down the stairs, before sitting on the last step, putting my head in my hands.

“Are you…” one of the guards began before I waved my hand at him.

“I’m fine. I just need to catch my breath.” I told them, hearing feet come down the steps behind me, and trying to ignore the pounding of my heart in my ears. Someone sat beside me with a sigh.

“Narumi, I don’t want to pry if you can’t handle it.” Inoichi said after a few moments of silence. My heart was slowly starting to calm down, and I brushed my hair back, off my face.

“It’s not what I can handle that I’m worried about.” I croaked, before swallowing dryly. “I know you’ve seen a lot, but I doubt you’ve seen people torturing children simply because they were being children and not listening, like children do.” I told him, looking at him as he stiffened, before scoffing. “This is going to be as mentally taxing on you as it will be on me, and I hope that you realise that. I don’t remember much other than flashes of what they put me through, and even those are enough to make me break out in a cold sweat.” I told him, wiping the back of my neck and wiping my hand on my trousers. He put his hand on my shoulder, squeezing lightly.

“You know that you can always talk to us about all of it, right? We all knew that they were trying to kill you after you left, but we never realised how things had worked there.” He said softly. I nodded and stood, dusting myself off.

“I guess it’s better to start sooner rather than later. Have you had breakfast?” I asked and he smiled, nodding and raising an eyebrow.

“I’m assuming you haven’t.” he hummed and I shrugged, looking up as Minato, Choza and Shikaku rushed down the steps to us.

“Are you really going to go through with it?” Choza asked as they neared the end of the steps. I smiled softly and nodded.

“I’m going to get some breakfast and we’re going to get started. Who knows what I don’t know I know. I might even be able to walk in there and stop them myself if we do this.” I explained, and the three of them nodded as Inoichi stood.

“Shall we?” he offered, and I nodded with a smile, waving to the others and falling in-step beside him as we walked towards the shops. I ate quickly, before we headed back towards the Hokage’s residence, going into the secured rooms, deep inside, stepping inside one, finding a few of Konoha’s top elite ninja there; the interrogation specialists. 

Inoichi put his arm around my shoulders squeezing gently. “You’re sure about this?” he asked. I sighed, walking up to the designated spot and folding my arms and sighing shakily.

“If you promise to stop if it gets to be too much, then sure.” I told him, and he nodded, taking his place opposite me.

“The same goes for you.” He said, and I nodded. He nodded at the rest of the team, and the door was closed behind us. Inoichi placed his hand on my forehead and we both closed our eyes. A sharp, familiar pain, and I was thrown back into my memories, guided deeper by Inoichi.


End file.
